Holocaust Museum Houston to Offer Special Tours Focused on Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

HOUSTON, TX (Sept. 13, 2010) – Holocaust Museum Houston will offer special guided tours of its permanent exhibition with an emphasis on the life and work of German Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer this October.

The tours are being offered each Sunday in the month for the general public and for congregations who are commemorating the observance of Reformation Sunday.

Tours are scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. each Sunday on Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 at the Museum’s Morgan Family Center, 5401 Caroline St., in Houston’s Museum District. Admission is free.

The tours are open to the general public, but group tours for 10 or more can be arranged by calling 713-942-8000, ext. 102, or by e-mailing tours@hmh.org.

Bonhoeffer was a brave exception to the silent bystanders who watched during World War II as their neighbors and friends were taken to the concentration camps. He spoke out from the pulpit and called for the church to take a stand against the Nazis. He was a part of the Abwehr resistance circle which helped Jews escape to Switzerland. In 1939, Bonhoeffer left Germany for a teaching position in New York, but he returned after one month, despite knowing that his life would be in danger. On April 9, 1945, Bonhoeffer was hung at Flossenburg on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler.

The tour includes a look at the early influences on Bonhoeffer before the Holocaust, his organization of the Confessing Church to stand with the Jews and his imprisonment and execution.

Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors' legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, the Museum teaches the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.

Holocaust Museum Houston is free and open to the public and is located in Houston’s Museum District at 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004. For more information about the Museum, call 713-942-8000 or visit www.hmh.org.

Our Public Relations team is eager to assist you in coverage of activities at Holocaust Museum Houston.

All requests for interviews or on-site photography or videography by members of the media must be coordinated in advance through our Public Relations office by calling 713-942-8000, ext. 103 or e-mailing news@hmh.org.

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Holocaust Museum Houston is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums.

The Laurie and Milton Boniuk Resource Center and Library is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Library is closed Sundays.

The Museum is closed for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For other holiday hours, visit the "Events" tab on the Museum’s Web site at www.hmh.org.